Part 1: Testing shots? Cons of networking

Last weekend i thought i would use the time to produce some images for our website. I booked out a Canon Sx30 to capture footage for our website. As our idea surrounds by the idea of ‘social networking being seen as a disease’ i took shots of medical bottles and packaging. This would useful for the website as they can relate medical as some kind of social media use, for example each of these packaging could represent a social media. Eg Facebook, instagram, snapchat, twitter, based on the colour of their packaging.

I wanted to capture a shot to really make the audience really think how Social media is a big part of a disruption in our everyday life. Here is one shot that I thought shows a powerful disruption and impact it makes us have on the everyday life.

Using this camera has allowed me to explore with many techquiews and how we could improve and produce more images. Next time when we shot I will make sure I have a decent background which will look more professional. Also I will use extra lighting so the product can be seen. However we are going to use photoshop to edit theses images.

As we may use some of theses images for our website, Abi was happy to edit a few of them to modernise them and disrupt them even more. Abi also have experience in photoshopping. With the Canon SX30 I played around with the camera, and ISO as well as the shutter speed. This shot above was effective as it plays around how addicted we are to medience, by photoshopping this to a social media would be very effective and create a powerful meaning. Showing how social media disrupts our everyday life.

On Wednesday I have booked out the camera again, this time as were going on a trip to London we are hoping to get more outdoor images, with creative background and also capture how networking disrupts the everyday life but in a good way. This is to balance out the good and bad of networking. We have planned out our roles over the half term and have each other in contact.

We are hoping to get all the images done by Thursday, before we break up for Easter, Jodie has also made a start on the website and will cotiune to work on that during the easter break. When we come back during the 2 weeks we will make the final updates and touches to our website as well as our images. So far we have made a progress by starting to produce and capture images for our website and the website is slowly being built together.

Battle time! ‘Digital sharing and collaboration is having a positive social effect.’

This lecture contained a battle. This battle was to debate FOR why Digital sharing and collaboration is having a positive social effect. we were given 15mins to prepare our arguments and come up with lines of attacks. We must uses our readings and sources to evidence why digital sharing and collaboration is having a positive social effect.

Against points-

• Privacy
• Lack of Freedom
• Terms and conditions- many people don’t understand it

FOR points-

• Data can be used to generate powerful insights which will make businesses more competitive.
• Backup
• NHS
• Educational System
• Businesses
• Advertising
• Terms and Conditions to read for privacy
• Updating-weather

As it was quite intense lesson I didn’t manage to get down everything. We had discussions on why social networking is good and bad. This was very useful for our group because our project revolves around the same subject. This lecture and debate has really boosted up our idea and confidence to go ahead with the idea due to hearing other people debates on why social networking is positive and negative.

Scheduling

During Phillis lesson, my group went over the images we could produce next week. Jodie has done a storyboard and a layout of what our website could look like for our images to be placed on. The website is quite simple but yet effective. We also planned out who will be doing what during this project. As Jodie is quite experienced with websiting she is happy to go along with that with our help of course and Abi also has experience in photoshopping. when it comes to the actual images I will be the person producing them and be holding responability on the camera as I am quite experienced with camera work. In my own time I will also clicking a few examples of our idea, this is to start it off and see what it would look like.

We looked at examples online on some images we can produce. Here are some we liked about the whole networking being good and bad to humans. Even though there cartoons we thought to make is realistic by using real people and objects, like medication. This will fit very well with our proposal.

Phill then has allocated us to a website to begin with and also provided us with a account to hand in our website. Again Jodie was given that as she is the main person to handle with the website.

Examples of Networking, what do you think?

Between our lessons we were set out to see other examples of networking. In my group we found different objects that link to network. network is quite simple its basically the ‘interact with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts.’ ‘intersecting horizontal and vertical lines.’.

In the canteen we found curtains that connect around the room. This shows network because it exchanging and passing through information and maybe to develop a social contacts for people. We also had a look at nature how the soil is connected to the root. this is some form of network involved as it is ‘intersecting horizontal and vertical lines.’

Walking around the campus we found posters. This poster may include the word ‘network’ but the reason why we thought it linked to network in other form is how it is exchanging information and also developing contacts from people. To pass on the message. Theses examples we spotted may seem simple but it is to show we also are a network because we can information and exchange it too. Everything around us includes some sort of networking, which is interesting.

We looked at the AC as it sends signals to pass through air and heat. This also involves networking.

This was a useful activity as it developed my understanding on networking and how it is used in our everyday lives, without realising. Here are the pictures I took, take a look and let me know what you think!

 

Telegraphs-Network Society

In todays lesson we discussed about MuLuhan extract about telegraphs. at first I wasn’t really sure what telegraphs was but from reading his extract I gathered that it is a system where communication and information is sent backwards and forwards. ‘ transmitting messages from a distance along a wire’. In class we also discussed what telegraphs is and most of us have said its a way of transmitting information through a wire and how telegraphs are important in the mass media, as it changed our reality by informing reality. MuLuhan discusses how Electronic media, beginning with the telegraph, created an enormous shift in communication and, with that shift, a change in personal and social environments. I really like how we opened up this reading by using a Murder case. He uses this example to show how telegraphs were invented and how they are useful.

How does it relate to 20th Century communication? It relates to the 20th Century because like I said before its less time consuming I guess? I wasn’t really sure on this question.

What is the effect of networked communication? One thing that I found in this reading that shows the effect of networked communication is that is shrinks mass media and making mass media change our reality. One of the biggest effect is how networked communication compressing time and space and makes communication much more straight forward. It allowed more opportunity with people, 1-1 communication. Muluhan talks about the layout of the newspapers how they are controlled by the editors voice. He discusses how the newspaper are being modernised as news is being produced very quick. this is one of the effects it has as it is speeding it up. On page 2, MuLuhan talks about electric media how it creates a massive change to our communication and change in personal environment. Network communication produced more news and this decreases the editors job, as it was overtaken by the network communication.

How does McLuhan argue this affects Newspaper and News? MuLuhan talks about how the newspapers and news provides powerful voices to the public. What I thought about this question is how the editors and jourlasium were given the role to predict the future by gathering all the information and how the human interest is taken less serious. Modern newspaper- product of printing press and telegraph.

We looked at a few videos talking about the network in the 21st Century and how it creates such an impact on us and things around us. It talks about how the internet is so big creating a massive shift in our communication as well as our personality. It talks about the massive numbers of database is being passed through different places and objects. It talks about the history of telegraphy in the United States.

Overall this extract was interesting to read as it talks about  telegraph and telephone considered one-to-one communications devices, also had an important place in the mass media.  MuLuhan discusses how the telegraph linked the world’s newspapers in the 19th and 20th centuries through “wire services. His theory was his idea that human history could be divided into four eras. From reading the extract I thought how he predicted the world was entering the fourth electronic age, which would be characterised by a community of people brought together by technology.

This extract made me think about today. With instant, global, full spectrum communication possible through dozens of media, we are indeed a global village, but we are not a peaceful one. We are not yet reconciled to each other’s differences, aware of each others strengths, or tolerant of each other’s weaknesses.

There is this video about this extract which I found very useful. It summaries McLuhan points on telegraph and the electric media.

INDPENDENT STUDY DAY

As I was poorly this week I wasn’t able to attend to this weeks CDP Lecture or workshop. But I managed to catch up on the reading I did for this week. I have read Deuze extract ‘Remix Culture’.

This extract was interesting as it was saying how ‘digital media is well documented’ I 100% agree with this especially in todays society. Digital Media is growing and it allows people to document their lives swell as others. This extract explaining what Digital media does it gives sets of values that people should act and interact within the contemporary network society. The Modern society now is full of Digital media and is still expanding. The author talks about how Digital media is seen in our everyday life too as it allows new spaces to be opened by communication technology and this is to form new culture.

From reading this extract, the author is saying how digital culture now gets embedded in devices and are so deeply embedded in our everyday lives. This made me think how it is a disruption as social media has taken over our lives. Deuze talks about the principal components of digital culture which I found interesting, I also thought of examples of participation, remediation and bricolage and considered the text partly as a document which was both of it’s time of writing (2006) and to some degree was able to point to developments to come. through this extract I also thought about remix culture and both digital and non-digital examples.

Blogs are discussed a lot in this reading how they allow people to think and consider how they act in their everyday lives. Blogs are known to encourage a feeling of time,  ‘time of thinking’ which I thought the same swell because when I write blogs it allows me time to think about my everyday life and the actions I take.

Overall this reading to me is very interesting as it discusses Digital culture to be created, reproduced, sustained and recognised through out these social system. it talks about how distal media allows it to fosters the community while at the same time can be fuelled by isolation. (Being connected to each other within the system.)

Finally, last week we have been told to come up with a group proposal, my group Abi and Jodie have made a head start and came up with a group idea and produced a group proposal together. I will make sure i email it to Beccy and Katie as well as a print copy in by next week.

Disrupting The Everyday Propsal

I truly believe our idea is considered to be appropriate, creative but realisable interface!

Individual proposal or a mess??

As Becky wasn’t in today, this lesson was to go over through our proposals and produce a group proposal.

Last weeks lecture we were discussing how images present different meanings and ideas. We were told to write an individual proposal that I will share with my group. I thought how we could present digital and print media. How the audience view theses 2 platforms and what ideas they get from it, kind of like a battle. As now internet is becoming very modern and wide, mostly a trend, I thought how we could show how competitive Digital media is vs Print media. Again this is a idea I got from last weeks reading and this weeks reading ‘Remix Culture’.

In Remix Culture, the reading talks about how internet is now a trend in our everyday lives and how much we are addicted to it. Our group thought how we could present social media (Digital Media) as a disease. We thought this would be interesting as it is realistic. It also links to our ‘Questioning everyday life’ video we produced last year, how much we are addicted to social media, this time we thought showing social media as a disease and show the physical changes.

Here is our 1st draft of our group proposal. Its not 100% finish but we thought of our main theme. Thinking of a group idea was better then I thought it would be! We didn’t really struggle much as we have done individual proposal each and really got down to writing up a group proposal.

Disrupting The Everyday Propsal

In Phill’s lesson we went through the layout and concept of our websites. We thought to go simple on the website as the images are quite intense. Here is a simple diagram showing how we could navigate our website and how the images will be presented. We looked at a example online, a website called ‘Tate Modern’. We really liked the layout of this page and how the images were pressed in a grid form. this is the kind of layout we wanted to go with. Phill said we may be able to do it on WordPress because of the layout. The banner will have 3 headings, not to many as we don’t want to confuse the viewers. Towards the end we just went through saving work, placing images on websites, creating folders, photoshopping images and began to look at a program called ‘Adobe Muse CC for our website.

Example website we found online:

For next lesson I will be prepping myself to next weeks reading and a schedule. I will also do research on our ideas and come with examples I could use for the project. I am happy with this weeks lesson and happy with the work my group has produced.

Personal Photograph- True Meaning

 

Becky has told us to write about a photograph that has a personal meaning to us.

Here is a old photo from my childhood. Many memories through this image as I can remember all the things I used to do in my childhood. I was always told i’m the ‘sassy’ one because I used to dress up 24/7! This image gives me funny memories of how I used to be in my childhood, what I used to wear, how I used to talk, what I played with, etc. As you can see through this image my body language shows how much of a ‘madam’ I was, and how the jewels on me showed the love I had for them.

Through this image I remember I used to go to my sisters rooms and steal their makeup. This image has a lot of connection to me, mostly family. I have quite a big family and this is the first thing that comes to my mind, when looking at this photo. This images reminds me how close I am with my family, my sisters and parents. My sisters and 1 have quite a small age gaps, so my childhood was surrounded around with them.

Reflecting on the readings, both of them had a personal aspect to them. The readings talks about how still images can do many things, such as bring back into a mindset, a personal and physical. It brings back deep memories and how we as the viewers have different ways to feel it. When looking at personal photograph people can see flash backs of their memories, and how it takes you back to that time. I feel the same when looking at my childhood photo because it gives me a surprised memories, the sense, the sights, the touch. How theses images also gives a narrative structure and non-linear. Reflecting back on Poster Mark extract I feel that memories are some sort of database too. How they restore images and flashbacks of the past.  When Barthes talks about memories he discusses how personal photographs presents History. How we choose to look at it and consider it we can see history as it reflects on our past? Moving backwards.

Barthes also discusses how personal images considers meanings and has a strong context of the photograph, how everything is belonged to history, culture and art. He also mentions personal photographs only exist for themselves and have a different meaning where to others it wouldn’t mean anything. This made me reflect on how certain images have affects on us, for example the image of my childhood, affects me in a positive way, as I have flashbacks of what I used to do, and gives me a glisp of who I was with, my family. I liked a concept what Barthes said ‘Photography gave me a sentiments as certain as remembrance’. This reading was useful and increased my knowledge on how photographs have more behind it, not just presenting something from the past. It gives a personal aspect to people. Overall I thought it was a emotional response on the photos he found of his mother.

Reflecting on Marita extract, she discusses how memories are often embodied in objects’ and how images have the capacity to create and trouble the memories we hold. From reading this extract I thought how we realie on certain images to construct memories and symbolises the meaning. This links to the project I will be doing how disrupting the everyday as we take images with different meanings. I realised how we hold memories and are able to change shapes due to photographs and still images and how memories in our heads capture history and keep them in time.

Overall this reading shows how Martia says watching culturally events allows people to identify  themselves as a member of a national culture. Such as a Royal wedding how it is over-layed with different ideas and symbolised. Or how the 9/11 still images gives different meanings to everyone. not everyone has the same memories on a national event. Lastly it gives me a impression how still images is different to a moving image because moving image allows people to be part of that national event, where as still images we reflect back on it, which gives us a deeper sense of understanding. This was a very instructing extract, because this reading made me reflect on what the author said, how both still and moving images produce memories however something is forgotten and how ‘image plays a central role in shaping the desire for cultural memory’.

In lesson we looked at couple of photographs, one called ‘ Traghana’  how her images replants memories and how they form different meanings to everyone, how little changes disrupts everyday life. (Changing backgrounds, colour, shapes, creates memories, changes ideas on the overall meaning). Really enjoyed todays lesson as I have learnt more about photographs and how they appear to hold memories in place, offering means to retrieve an experience of the past. I learnt how theses memories come together, causing a personal touch to us.

In Phill’s lesson we had to book out our own cameras. This allowed us to explore with the cameras and learn how to use them. As I am not very good with camera work, I thought this lesson was useful as I got see how the cameras work. Also allowed me to think of ideas for the next project. Me, Abi, Jodie we took pictures and tested out TV settings with high and low shutter speed. We wanted to see what images turn out like with theses settings.

The images that we took are really interesting because the object were matching the background. for example the shot of me walking, the low shutter speed, gives me different meaning, as it shows one side of the audience me having no feet (Feetless) and another side of me being invisible. Creating some sort of illusion and disrupting.

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By next week I will try and mind map ideas we could do for our project, create a indivuial proposal, research on what we need to do and plan out our schedules.

 

Database

This week was quite an intresting lecture. I have read both of the readings so I kind of knew what this lesson will be about. The readings were intresting as it wasn’t to complex, it was easy to understand. There were some elements in class where Katie spoken about databases, such as discussing about the database systems and how they are into 3 areas. Storage- where the data is stored. Filter- How it is shown and 3 being turned into meaningful informations. We spoken about the recent online platforms like Youtube how the data there is stored somewhere in a multi place.

Katie then discussed about the 2 structures we see, Linear which is a platform that isn’t connected to another and the source is simple, like books and disk etc. and Database structures, where information is moved around backwards and forwards, such as the internet. The internet passes information around everywhere. Katie then spoken about Linear media how that is straight forward data being passed and non linear media where that is oppsiture. it can be passed forwards and backwards, start from anywhere, such as a website.

Reflecting back onto the readings I learnt what broadcast model meant and an example of one would be BBC as it is something we are given to watch. Broadcast model promotes audience to watch, nationalism comes together and gets bigger and there is no opinion said. Where as Decenlasied model is subjective and opinions can be spreader.

We spoken about recent modern non linear media, Youtube, Facebook, Netflix and how they have many links together and what kind of database is used and taken from us. Theses platforms take so much database from us and mostly our identity’s. We did a group work where we mind mapped a model of a platform. Facebook is what we want forward with and this is what we got. As this is a social media app, there are many database to be considered. I thought how much we relie on these apps but don’t think about the information that they take from us. It just shows how databases is more powerful then humans!

Overall both of the readings were intresting and I have learnt much more about database then before. I feel like my knowledge on database has increased. We should know what it is about how it is formed in the media industry.

In Phills lesson we went over again on website building and how important it is to save all work. We were told where to store our folders for our projects and to ALWAYS SAVE IT. I did have a hard time understanding on the website building. I don’t understand how theses codes work so I think I will need to get help from Phill, on a 1-1 base.

Photography

In this weeks lecture we focused on the reading that explained the meaning of photography. It was an interesting lesson as the reading was discussing why photos are used and what they symbolise. I learnt they provide sorts of evidence and truth. Like the author says it “records things that are seen”. “A physical imprint” and create a special bond with others. I also thought the reading based on photography spoken about the negative and positive aspects. The positive aspect was mainly seen a some sort evidence. And the main subject was it’s being recorded. Records of things (things is what has happened).

Looked at Edward Mybridge photography and how we photographed something to show people what he was expanding. This links in with what I have said about providing truth. The importance of photography is something we believe in. It allows us to see things and breaks them down.

We also looked at the person behind taking the pictures how they question us. How the context of the image has a meaning that trying to show. “Photography as interpretation”.

We looked at the roles of the editor and photographer how they chose elements to draw and audience or the subject.

Then we discussed about digital images,how they shift these arguments. It’s infinate copying but it’s open for manipulation. Producers, consumer, imapulate, theses all link together and we all do these things ourselves.

We looked at a few examples of images by Micheal and Andrew Gursly how they have many forms and meaning. We looked at the quality of his work, idenifing what is so good about his work, what were his elements and the meaning behind it. I mentioned how his work draws our attention with the wide shots he captures and colour he uses. How it symbolises something and creates some kind of emotion for the audience. But we questioned wherever he is using the photo naturally or is it photoshopped? Is it manmade or not? This was the disruption.

In the second half Phill went through some equipments and how photoshop is used, I need more practice on photoshops as I’m not sure how it works. This is something I need too mention next time or work independently on. But overall it was a interesting lesson.